Dashboard in particular for motor vehicle

ABSTRACT

A dashboard, in particular for motor vehicle, includes at least a three-dimensional element ( 2 ) extending longitudinally and designed to constitute a reinforcement against impact and to enable equipment items to be incorporated ( 1 ) in the dashboard. The three-dimensional element ( 2 ) includes a body ( 3 ), designed in volume and provided with housings ( 4 ) for the equipment items ( 1 ), arranged in the volume of the body ( 3 ), and a substantially planar component ( 5 ), co-operating with the body to close at least some of the housings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dashboard, especially for a motorvehicle.

However, although more particularly developed for such applications, thepresent invention could also be used in all those fields of economicactivity in which driving, control and/or monitoring stations are likelyto be encountered.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

At the present time, in the automobile field, flat-shaped dashboardshave been developed, that is to say dashboards with walls of shallowthickness, comprising housings making it possible internally toaccommodate, at the locations provided for this purpose, equipmentelements such as the various components of a heating, ventilation and/orair-conditioning circuit, for example, these also, however, definingdifficult and unusable geometric regions.

The housings are themselves also flat in shape, that is to say withwalls of shallow thickness the relative positions of which define thelocation of the components as well as ducts for the circulation of anairflow between them. The housings are held in place by way ofreinforcing elements provided at the front of the vehicles, especially acrosspiece.

Such solutions already constitute progress in terms of the degree ofintegration by comparison with preceding dashboards in which all thecomponents were brought in, put in place and fixed one by one, byspecific assembly operations. Nevertheless, they remain inadequate.

First of all, certain equipment elements still have to be attached tothe crosspiece, or elsewhere, in specific assembly operations.

Moreover, the coexistence between the housings and the crosspiece is anintricate matter. This is because it does not allow optimisation of thetake-up of the available space, especially by reason of the shape of thehousings and of their arrangement in a plane orthogonal to thecrosspiece.

It should also be noted that the crosspiece and the housings are ofdifferent technologies and thus require separate manufacturingoperations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to propose a dashboard whichovercomes the above-mentioned drawbacks and makes it possible to enhancethe degree of integration of these equipment elements.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a dashboardallowing optimisation of the available space.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will emerge in the courseof the description which will follow which is given only by way ofindication and which is not for any limiting purpose.

The invention relates to a dashboard, especially for a motor vehicle,with at least of one three-dimensional element, able to allow theintegration of equipment elements into the dashboard, characterised inthat the three-dimensional element, designed extending longitudinally,consists of a body, shaped in volume and equipped at least with housingsfor the equipment elements, which are produced in the mass of the body,and of a substantially flat-shaped piece, interacting with the body soas to close at least some of the housings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood on reading the followingdescription, accompanied by FIG. 1 in the annex which forms an integralpart thereof and which describes, in a cross-sectional plane, anembodiment for example of the dashboard in accordance with theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a dashboard, specially for a motorvehicle.

However, although more particularly intended for such applications, thepresent invention could also be used in all those fields of economicactivity in which driving, control and/or monitoring stations are likelyto be encountered.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the dashboard in accordance with the inventioncomprises at least of one three-dimensional element 2, able to allow theintegration of equipment elements 1 into the dashboard as well as, ifappropriate, to constitute a reinforcement especially against frontaland lateral impacts.

According to the invention, the three-dimensional element 2 extendslongitudinally. Moreover, the three-dimensional element 2 comprises abody 3, designed in volume and equipped at least with housings 4 for theequipment elements 1. The housings are produced in the mass of the body3. The three-dimensional element 2 also comprises a substantiallyflat-shaped piece 5, interacting with the body 3 so as to close at leastsome of the housings 4 and duct 7 as well as, if appropriate, as set outlater, in order to participate in the definition of them which are alsoformed in the mass of the body 3.

Thus a solution is available making it possible to integrate into themass of the body 3 and into the housings are large number of equipmentelements such as, for example, as explained later, ventilation, heatingand/or air-conditioning means 6, but also functionally differentequipment elements such as loudspeakers, inflatable cushion or airbag orother safety devices.

Moreover, with such elements no longer having to be fixed to the surfaceof the dashboard, the production of the latter can be carried out in amore aesthetically free way. Likewise, this gets round the production ofdifficult and unusable geometric regions, as is necessarily the case inthe known flat-shaped dashboards.

In the case of applications to a motor vehicle, the three-dimensionalelement 1, in particular the flat-shaped piece 5, could constitute thefront crosspiece thereof and thus reinforce the resistance of thevehicle to impacts, especially lateral and/or frontal impacts.

That being so, as mentioned above, the three-dimensional element 2 isfurthermore intended to be able, for example, to allow at least thecirculation of an airflow for the ventilation, heating and/orair-conditioning, between at least means 6 for ventilation, heatingand/or air-conditioning, an air inlet and/or an air outlet 9. Theventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means are distributedsubstantially in the same plane parallel to the longitudinal directionof the three-dimensional element 2.

Thus optimisation of the available space is obtained. Moreover, in thecase of applications to vehicles, the components of the ventilation,heating and/or air-conditioning means, which are generally among theheaviest equipment elements of the dashboard, may remain close to thebulkhead, which makes it possible to facilitate their stability.

The ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means 6 are provided,for example, in the region of at least some of the housings 4 of thebody of the three-dimensional element, the body 3 moreover beingequipped with ducts 7, produced in the mass, between the ventilation,heating and/or air-conditioning means 6, the air inlet or inlets and theair outlet or outlets 9.

The longitudinal axis of the three-dimensional element 2 is oriented,especially, substantially horizontally. Furthermore, the air inlet orinlets and/or the air outlet or outlets are comprised, for example, oforifices provided at the surface of the three-dimensional element 2.

The trajectory of the airflow in the three-dimensional element 2 issubstantially flat, for example. This is understood to mean that thecirculation of the airflow takes place in the plane in which theventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means 6 are arranged and/orin the vicinity of the latter in the case of slight deviations of theairflow by reason of the treatment operations undergone such as, forexample, its acceleration in the region of the ventilation means, theuse or otherwise of the air-conditioning and/or heating means and/orother operations. The plane is called flow plane in what follows.

The ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means 6 are,especially, substantially aligned behind one another, in the directionof the flow, along the longitudinal direction of the three-dimensionalelement 2.

The air inlet or inlets and/or the air outlet or outlets are, forexample, situated substantially in the flow plane.

To construct the body 3, it would be possible, especially, to use a foamplastic and/or expanded plastic such as, for example, polypropyleneand/or also expanded and compressed polystyrene beads. Advantageously,certain body regions 3 may serve as impact dampers. To that end, forexample, it features overthicknesses of material, especially of foam, inthe regions. The cover comprises a material giving the three-dimensionalelement its rigidity.

The flat-shaped piece 5 could be designed to be able, especially, toconstitute a support for additional equipment elements, for exampleheavily stressed elements, such as a steering column, an inflatablecushion or airbag-type safety system, a pedal frame and/or othersystems, which require structural characteristics and/or characteristicsof vibration resistance. To that end, it will be dimensioned towithstand the forces of use, but also to filter vibration.

The body 3 could extend, in volume, especially, towards the surface 8 ofthe upper part of the dashboard, so as, if appropriate, at least partlyto define the latter, the flat-shaped piece 5 closing the housings 4 ofthe body 3 at its lower part.

Some of the ducts 7 produced in the mass of the body 3 could moreover beprovided downstream of the ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioningmeans 6, so as, if appropriate, to open out at the level of the airoutlet or outlets, provided at the surface of the dashboard, especiallyfor deicing/demisting. The body 3 thus moreover defines air diffusers onthe surface of the dashboard.

The three-dimensional element 2 could, furthermore, if appropriate,comprise means for selection of the path of the airflow. The latter maycomprise, especially, movable flaps 10, arranged, among others, at thelevel of the air inlet or inlets, so as to vary the origin of the airintroduced, in terms of the heating means, so as to vary the temperatureof the airflow, and/or downstream of the latter, so as to alter thedirection of the airflow emitted.

That being so, the ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning meansconsist, for example, respectively of a blower, of a radiator and of anevaporator.

The three-dimensional element 2 is able, moreover, if appropriate, toaccommodate one or more filters, provided for example in the flow plane.The filters are thus, especially, substantially aligned with the blower,the radiator and/or the evaporator.

If it is not wished to condition the airflow, it is sufficient toneutralise the effects of the evaporator and/or to dispense with it.

Naturally, other embodiments, within the scope of the person skilled inthe art, could have been envisaged without to any extent is departingfrom the context of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. Dashboard, comprising: at least of onethree-dimensional element (2), able to allow the integration ofequipment elements (1, 6) into the dashboard, characterised in that thethree-dimensional element (2), extending in a longitudinal direction,comprises a single body (3), shaped in volume and equipped at least withhousings (4) for the equipment elements (1, 6), which are produced inthe mass of the body (3), and a substantially flat-shaped piece (5),interacting with the body so as to close at least some of the housings,the body (3) extending in volume towards the surface of the upper partof the dashboard, the flat-shaped piece (5) closing the housings (4) ofthe body at its lower part.
 2. Dashboard according to claim 1, in whichthe three-dimensional element (2) is further intended to be able toallow at least the circulation of an airflow for the ventilation,heating and/or air-conditioning, between at least means (6) forventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning, an air inlet and/or an airoutlet (9), the ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means beingdistributed substantially in a plane parallel to the longitudinaldirection of the three-dimensional element (2).
 3. Dashboard accordingto claim 2, in which the ventilation, heating and/or air-conditioningmeans (6) are provided in the region of at least some of the housings(4) of the body of the three-dimensional element, the body (3) moreoverbeing equipped with ducts, produced in the mass, between theventilation, heating and/or air-conditioning means (6), the air inletand/or the air outlet.
 4. Dashboard according to claim 3, whereinanother of the housings (4) is designed to be able to accommodate anequipment element (1) functionally different from the ventilation,heating and/or air-conditioning means (6).
 5. Dashboard according toclaim 1, in which the body (3) at least partly defines the surface ofthe upper part of the dashboard.
 6. Dashboard according to claim 1, inwhich the flat-shaped piece (5) is moreover able to constitute a supportfor additional equipment elements.
 7. Dashboard according to claim 1, inwhich the body (3) features regions able to serve as impact dampers. 8.Dashboard according to claim 2, in which the three-dimensional element(2) comprises means for selection of the path of the airflow. 9.Dashboard according to claim 8, in which the selection means consist ofmovable flaps (10) arranged: in the region of the air inlet, so as tovary the origin of the air introduced, in the region of a heating means,so as to vary the temperature of the airflow, downstream of the heatingmeans, so as to vary the direction of the airflow emitted.